Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute Announces New Director Agre

The Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute on Wednesday announced that it has hired Peter Agre, a Nobel Prize winner in chemistry, to be the new director of the institute, the Baltimore Sun reports (Kohn, Baltimore Sun, 10/25). Agre's appointment was announced in New York City at the Progress Against Malaria symposium, sponsored by the malaria institute and the New York Academy of Sciences (JHMRI release, 10/24).

Agre is returning to Johns Hopkins after serving two years as vice chancellor of science and technology at Duke University. He won the Nobel Prize in 2003 for his work on aquaporins, proteins that help water move through cells, according to the Sun. He and his laboratories at Duke and Johns Hopkins since then have published two papers on the role that aquaporins play in malarial mosquitoes' life cycles. He said he suspects that his work with aquaporins could help in the fight against the disease, the Sun reports. "Taking the malaria [director] job is something I've been very eager to do," Agre said, adding, "If there is something we can do for malaria, I'd really like to get involved in it." Michael Klag, dean of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, said Agre will serve as an "inspirational" figure, mentoring younger scientists and outlining a broader vision for the institute. "He's a very innovative guy," Klag said, adding, "This will create lots of opportunities for advances."

According to the Sun, Agre will run his own malaria research lab in addition to overseeing the institute and will serve as a public advocate for malaria research at Hopkins and elsewhere. Agre is succeeding Diane Griffin, who has led the institute since its establishment in 2001 (Baltimore Sun, 10/25). He will officially join the faculty on Jan. 1, 2008 (JHMRI release, 10/24).